High-dielectric-constant (HK) metal-gate (MG) one-time-programming (OTP) memory devices with thin gate dielectric layers have been used as logic devices in semiconductor integrated circuits. A typical logic HK-MG OTP memory device may experience a non-breakdown or soft breakdown or a hard breakdown. Non-breakdowns or soft breakdowns (non/soft breakdowns) and hard breakdowns typically have different sensing spots and windows for typical logic HK-MG OTP memory devices. When the gate dielectric of a logic HK-MG OTP memory device becomes thinner, soft breakdowns are more likely to occur than hard breakdowns. In a soft breakdown, which may occur more frequently than a hard breakdown in a logic HK-MG OTP memory device with a thin gate dielectric layer, the gate maintains control to the channel. A close soft breakdown is a case in which the gate still maintains control to the channel but is close to a hard breakdown. Non-breakdown is similar to the case of soft breakdown but there is no gate leakage jump and gate can fully control channel with shifted threshold voltage. In contrast, when a hard breakdown or a close hard breakdown occurs, the gate loses control to the channel. There exists a need for reliably detecting soft breakdowns, close soft breakdowns and hard breakdowns in logic HK-MG OTP memory devices with thin gate dielectric layers.